Colombian Rebels Have Slain 12 Former Mayors This Year

Latin America & Caribbean - In Brief

October 28, 2004

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Twelve former mayors have been killed by rebels in Colombia this year, and six others have fled the country, undermining President Alvaro Uribe's attempts to bring security to the nation. Gilberto Toro, director of the Colombian Association of Municipalities, said 30 other former mayors have applied for asylum abroad after being threatened by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which has been battling the government for 40 years.